The Incarceration Experience (CJ 720)
I wanted to dig deeper into the trauma experienced by individuals who have been incarcerated. In reading and writing the “react to readings” in our discussions this past week, the topic has really resonated with me. I had expressed that I have zero pity for inmates. Reading DeVeaux’s (2013) paper did not provoke sympathy, and I was really bothered how *I* felt heartless by finding another person’s suffering as “ok” and brought upon himself. I appreciated his opinion and I noted that I liked his narrative and firsthand experience. Sometimes just reading literature reviews are boring. So, whenever I read someone’s firsthand account, I find it refreshing and more informative. With the help of Anne and classmates, I see that I am not heartless, this is just a touchy subject with many differing opinions.
Looking back on my discussion post, I should have caveated it by saying I have no sympathy for murderers, rapists and child molesters. Petty thieves, and small drug offenders I see differently. Serious crime offenders are not victims and do not deserve any ‘rewards’ in prison to make their stay easier. I do see the benefits of education, classes, etc. as we do not want these guys to have an issue coming back into society and then committing crimes again. However, I truly struggle with ‘perks,’ as it’s jail; they did wrong. I also take issue when DeVeaux (2013) claimed it was hard just being a number and treated like cattle. Well, he was convicted of second-degree murder, so I was not getting teary over his assessment of jail life. Especially since he did not show remorse for his actions or the family he impacted (at least within this article). To be treated like a person, and not cattle, you should behave like a solid citizen and not commit murder.
Because of this, I wanted to do a deeper dive. Into what exactly, I was not sure. So, I kept an open mind and just started to read material surrounding incarcerated people and the impact it has on them. I came upon another interesting article about prison inmates. This paper included actual quotes from prisoners who had PTSD or mental health issues due to being incarcerated for an extended period of time. Since I favor articles with first hand narratives, I decided to review what this paper had to say about incarceration.
Liem & Kunst (2013) conducted in-depth interviews with people that served sentences of an average of 19 years. They wanted to asses if people who were incarcerated truly experience post-traumatic stress disorder, in addition to other mental health symptoms. They wanted to know whether there was “a recognizable post-incarceration syndrome among released lifers.” (Liem & Kunst, p. 333, 2013) The subjects were homicide offenders that spent time in state correctional institutions and were not currently incarcerated. This study was part of a larger study on the effects of long-term prison sentences and recidivism of homicide offenders.
There were 25 participants in this study, all of whom were convicted of homicide in the Boston area; 23 men and 2 women. After their time in prison, out of the 25 participants, seven were officially diagnosed with mental illness, and of those, four had PTSD. A large finding was most of them had sleep disturbances. These disturbances were often due to the fact when they were in jail, they were woken up every 45 minutes when the correctional officers were making rounds. This set the pattern of not sleeping through the night. Upon release, that pattern had continued. Some also experienced terrible nightmares about going back to jail, or that they were still in jail. Many of the participants experienced full blown panic attacks. Some reported that crowds or even open spaces might trigger such an attack. While not all reported that they experienced panic attacks, many of them did say that they avoided crowded, public places as they did not want people in their space because they become overwhelmed and agitated (Liem & Kunst, 2013).
A really interesting finding to me was the inmates used emotional numbing as a coping mechanism. “They had created a permanent and unbridgeable distance between themselves and other people.” (Liem & Kunst, p. 334, 2013). The researchers went on to say the ‘prison mask’ they wore was protecting them during their time in jail, but it was a hindrance when they were released. They spent much of their time in jail not wanting to show weakness. Because of this they struggled with relationships on the outside (Liem & Kunst, 2013).
The subjects also stated that since they were not able to trust anyone in prison, they now struggle with trust in their life outside of prison. They also stated they were not used to having to make decisions. That ability was taken away in jail, everything was decided for them. But now when they go the grocery store, they are overcome with choices and the decisions (Liem & Kunst, 2013). Things we all take for granted.
Deveaux (2013) discussed how he had a great support system of friends and family outside of prison. We do not know if the people in Liem and Kunst’s study had similar support systems and if they did or did not, what impact that may have had. I think that would be important to know as Deveaux was able to rehabilitate and lead a clean life after prison. Perhaps this is a large reason why. This should be looked at when evaluating recidivism rates.
It is evident from both the Liem & Kunst (2013) study and the DeVeaux (2013) study, that when released from jail the prisoners face a number of challenges, and thus it’s not surprising the odds of them recommitting an offense is higher. This population experiences severe, lasting stress and side effects from their prison stays, and to prevent recidivism rates from increasing, something will need to be done. But there would need to be a fine line. They are still to be punished; even if they will need to be rehabilitated to prevent more offenses once/if released. Should they be offered college classes that some people who are not in jail and lead clean lives are unable to take advantage of? Seems unfair to me.
Even after reading more on the topic, I still struggle with the sympathy factor. While my opinions haven’t changed, it’s very clear something needs to be done to help these people reintegrate into society. Based on Liem and Kunst’s (2013) study alone, there appears to be a “post-incarceration syndrome.” However even Liem and Kunst admitted this was not an accurate representation of the population and more research would need to be done.
References:
DeVeaux, M. (2013). The trauma of the incarceration experience. Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. Volume 48.
Liem, M. & Kunst, M. (2013). Is there a recognizable post-incarceration syndrome among released “lifers”?” International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 36. 333-37.